THE RACE IS ON
STP 500 preview: NASCAR returns to Martinsville
Trey Campbell
Mar 23, 2018, 7:49 am
Chase Elliot (top car) will finally break through this week. Jerry Markland/Getty Images
The NASCAR Monster Energy cup series heads to the Martinsville Speedway -- AKA "the paper clip" -- in Ridgeway, Virgina for the STP 500. As most fans know this track is the smallest on the schedule. Martinsville is an 0.526-mile short track that is indeed shaped like a paperclip. The corners are narrow, and the straightaways like drag strips.
Due to the corners being the way that they are this track is HELL on brakes. While the cars don't go all that fast, knowing when to brake is essential and it takes a lot of skill to master this track. Martinsville is one of the most popular race tracks in the country because of all the beating and the banging we see every year not to mention it is in the heart of NASCAR country.
Even in the sport's "decline," loyal NASCAR fans continue to flock to this little old short track in Virgina. If there is one track that is the most like your local race track it is this one. It doesn't even have a victory lane. The winner instead parks right under the start/ finish line where he is met by his pit-crew, a moving stage with all the sponsor banners on it and arguably the most unique trophy in all of NASCAR, a longcase clock made nearby.
While there is a lot of hype surrounding the race, it is important to note that there is a chance that there will be snow in forecast. You read that right folks, according to AccuWeather there is a 37 percent chance of the track getting less than two inches and a 20 percent chance of getting 4-6 inches of snow for Saturday's Camping World Truck race and the main event on Sunday. On the bright side all the precipitation appears to be earlier in the morning and should clear up around the afternoon when the race begins.
Last year, this race was won by Brad Keselowski, although he was not the most dominant car; that was his nemesis Kyle Busch, who led a race high 274 laps until Keselowski finally got around him with 43 laps to go and never looked back in route to his second win of the 2017 season. This year I think that it will be a little bit different, and while Keselowski will be a contender, I think it's his teammate Joey Logano that fans should watch.
Martinsville has not been kind to Logano in the past, the most notable example being the infamous 2015 Goody's Headache Relief 500 when he was on path to victory and to getting into the championship four until Matt Kenseth turned him into the turn one wall. Luckily for Logano, Kenseth is retired so he won't have to worry about that anymore, not to mention he has run well here. Yes, he struggled last year in the second Martinsville race, but he is usually a contender in the first race last year he finished fourth. Look for Logano to be a serious threat to take the checkered flag this Sunday.
Another driver to look out for is obviously the favorite Kyle Busch. He has easily been a step ahead of everyone else here with an average finish of 2.25 here in the last four races and has led over 40 percent of all laps run here. While he has dominated here as of late, I think this weekend is different.
Earlier this year on my season preview write-up, I stated that Chase Elliott has unfinished business at this track. Last year Elliott was two laps away from winning when he was pushed aside by NASCAR's newest villain, Denny Hamlin. It cost him not only his first win but a chance to race for a championship. I know that many times, NASCAR writers such as myself have predicted that "this is the week Chase Elliott finally breaks through and wins" and it is becoming a bit frustrating for some fans but this is the week that Chase Elliott finally breaks through and wins. With all that he has been through at this track, I predict that he finally gets his first win at the track where he made his NASCAR debut in 2015.
(All stats and information used in this article is brought to you by the good folks at driveraverages.com and Racing-Refrence.com the best website for all NASCAR stats)
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
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